)
Japanese stocks ticked up on Friday, with sentiment buoyed by bullish expectations for 2015 helping to overcome slight losses from profit-taking in the morning session.
The Nikkei benchmark closed up 0.1% at 17,818.96 in quiet trade. The average added 1.1% over the holiday-shortened week, which saw the thinnest trade volume since May.
Market heavyweight Fanuc Corp added 0.4%, accounting for a third of the Nikkei's overall gains.
The broader Topix gained 0.4% to 1,427.50, while the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 gained 0.3% to 12,693.12.
